A manager should be able to explain why sales, payments and the cash drawer show different totals at the end of a shift. Sales describe what was sold. Payments describe the tenders collected, less any refunds included in the period. The drawer contains cash payments, the opening float and any other cash movements—not card payments.
When evaluating a restaurant POS, ask the vendor to walk through a close using a scenario like the one below. A useful system should let your manager identify what belongs in each total, account for open checks and trace a difference without guessing.
1. Set the close period before adding numbers
First, agree on the start and end of the close. A restaurant that serves past midnight needs to know whether a check opened before midnight and paid afterward appears on the calendar date, the restaurant’s business date or another reporting period.
Ask the vendor how a business date is assigned, whether it can be configured and what happens when a manager closes a shift before every check is paid. Also ask whether a drawer close, an employee shift close and the restaurant’s daily close are separate actions. They may cover different people, tenders or time periods.
For example, a table might order dinner during one shift and pay after the next manager takes over. The sale and payment may not appear in the same shift report. That does not automatically mean money is missing. Your manager needs to know which report shows the open check and where its eventual payment will appear.
Before closing, review open checks by owner, amount and status. Decide who follows up on each one. An open check is not a cash shortage, and closing a drawer should not make an unpaid balance disappear from the manager’s view. Ask the vendor to show how an open check is carried forward and how its later payment can be traced.
2. Separate sales, payments and refunds
Use one definition at a time. Gross sales can describe the value of items sold before refunds. Net sales may subtract refunds or other adjustments, depending on the report’s rules. Payments show how guests settled checks; a refund sends money back through a tender. An unpaid check can be part of sales without producing a payment in the same period.
The following is a hypothetical example, not a claim about a particular POS. Assume all amounts fall within the same close period except the payment on one open check. Gross sales are $400, including a $40 unpaid check. Guests have paid the remaining $360: $120 in cash and $240 by card. The restaurant then issues $20 in refunds: $10 cash and $10 card.
The worksheet excludes tips, taxes, discounts and cash movements other than the refund. It also excludes fixed costs, variable operating costs such as processing fees, and other exception costs. The $20 refund is included as an adjustment, not treated as an operating-cost estimate. The opening float is $100.
| Close measure | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Gross sales before refunds | Paid checks $360 + open check $40 | $400 |
| Net sales after the stated refunds | $400 − $20 | $380 |
| Net cash payments | $120 − $10 cash refund | $110 |
| Net card payments | $240 − $10 card refund | $230 |
| Total net payments | $110 cash + $230 card | $340 |
| Unpaid check | Gross sales $400 − gross payments $360 | $40 |
| Expected drawer cash | $100 opening float + $110 net cash | $210 |
| Counted cash and variance | $210 counted − $210 expected | $0 variance |
The table balances because $380 in net sales equals $340 in net payments plus the $40 still unpaid. The $210 drawer expectation includes the float, which is not a sale. Card payments do not belong in the drawer count. A report may label or calculate sales differently, so ask the vendor to explain its definitions alongside the numbers.
A card processor’s deposit is another measure. It may arrive on a different schedule and may be reduced by processing fees or affected by other activity. Do not expect the deposit to match a single shift’s card total without checking the settlement period and fee treatment. The restaurant POS cost guide offers a broader look at payments and processing costs.
3. Count the drawer and explain any variance
Record the opening float before service. At close, count the actual bills and coins and compare that count with expected cash. Include documented cash added to or removed from the drawer, as well as cash refunds, when your process calls for them. Do not add the float twice.
In the worksheet, no cash was added or removed apart from the stated refund. A $210 count therefore matches the $210 expectation. If the count were different, record the difference and investigate it; do not change sales or invent a payment to force a match.
Ask the manager to check a short list before escalating:
- Was the opening float recorded correctly for this drawer?
- Were cash refunds and any documented cash movements assigned to the right period?
- Was a payment entered under the wrong tender, such as card instead of cash?
- Are all relevant checks closed or clearly listed as open?
- Does the drawer belong to one person or a shared team, and does the report cover the same group?
Have the vendor show how the manager records a variance, who can change a close and whether the original count remains visible after a correction. Review the workflow with the actual restaurant POS hardware you expect to use. A count that works on one screen but is difficult to find at a busy counter is worth addressing before purchase.
4. Trace adjustments made after the close
A close is a snapshot of a period, not proof that nothing will happen later. A guest may return the next day for a refund, or a manager may discover that a payment was assigned to the wrong tender. Your team needs to see both the original activity and the later adjustment.
Ask the vendor to demonstrate a late refund and a tender correction. Which business date shows the adjustment? Can a manager connect it to the original check? Does the earlier close change, or does a later report show the correction separately? What permissions and history are available?
Then ask the manager to explain the effect in plain language. A later cash refund can reduce cash in a later drawer period; it should not be assumed to be part of the earlier count. A card refund affects card payment activity, not the physical cash drawer. Report treatment can vary, so compare the vendor’s explanation with the reports your team would actually use.
Individual check corrections matter, but the buying decision here is whether the manager can understand their effect on shift and daily totals. Look for a clear path from the adjustment to the relevant report, not just a button that completes the transaction.
5. Run a safe evaluation before choosing
Give each vendor the same requirements: your business-day boundary, typical shift handoff, drawer-sharing rules, open-check process and the reports the owner expects to review. Ask a manager—not only the salesperson—to explain the results back to you.
For a practice run, request a simulated or training environment. Confirm in advance that the scenario cannot create a real card charge or refund, send a guest message, or dispatch a courier. Enter the hypothetical sales and adjustments only in that environment. If the vendor cannot safely simulate a step, ask for a demonstration using existing sample data instead.
Use these acceptance criteria:
- The manager can identify the close period and locate the $40 unpaid check.
- The manager can explain why $380 in net sales differs from $340 in net payments.
- The drawer expectation includes the $100 float and $110 net cash, and a $210 count produces no variance.
- The manager can find the stated refunds and explain where a later adjustment would appear.
- The team can identify any report definitions or steps that need a different process before opening.
If the system’s reporting rules differ from the worksheet’s assumptions, have the vendor map those differences rather than forcing its labels onto the example. A later live-service pilot, if you choose one, is a separate operational decision: use your normal controls, monitor real transactions and agree on who handles exceptions. A practice simulation is not proof that a live close will run without mistakes.
For your next step, request a Fleksa demo and bring your close-period rules, drawer requirements and the worksheet. Ask your manager to walk through the numbers and note any answers that need follow-up before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
Why can sales be higher than payments at close?
An unpaid check can be included in sales while its payment belongs to a later period. Refunds, report definitions and timing can also affect the comparison. Start by checking that both reports cover the same period.
Should card payments be included in the cash drawer count?
No. Count physical cash in the drawer. Compare card payments separately with payment and settlement reports, and account for timing and fees when reviewing deposits.
What should a manager do with a drawer variance?
Record the count and difference, then check the float, tender entries, refunds and documented cash movements. Follow the restaurant’s escalation process rather than changing a transaction solely to make the numbers match.
